I imagined writing a book about my professional experiences for years, but that always seemed to be a project for later. When I realized some time ago that “later” was “now or never,” I didn’t fathom how challenging an enterprise writing a book would be. That The Investigator is now in print is due to the assistance of several invaluable people. What finally got this project under way are my associations with Gail Ross; David Rosenthal and Sarah Hochman of Blue Rider Press; Matt Latimer; and Anne Walker Browning. Gail led me through the maze of the publishing world and its processes with fortitude and acumen. David’s enthusiasm for my proposal inspired me with confidence to believe that my story was worth telling. Matt Latimer was patient, diligent, and tireless in prompting me to dig deep into my memory and files, and arranging my stories into a coherent narrative. Anne was an amazing researcher, organizing my files and verifying facts with persistence and efficiency. Sarah Hochman, as the book’s editor, has been unfailingly encouraging, appropriately questioning, and insistent when insistence was needed.
My wife, Margaret, who journeyed with me and knows my stories well, helped enormously to reorganize drafts and safeguard my literary voice. This book would not have been written without her. Our children, Emily, Jonathan, and William Lenzner, have encouraged me affectionately with perception and understanding. They are my legacy and I hope they will learn from this book.
My brothers, Bob and Allan, have been unfailingly supportive of this and all my endeavors. As a business reporter, Bob’s excellent analyses of economic trends and exotic financial transactions are always timely and insightful, as is the advice he has given me. He always looked out for his younger brothers, and Allan and I depended on him to provide early warnings of challenges at home and at school. Allan was my partner in deciphering and navigating the rocky shores of childhood. To this day, his unique observations, sense of humor, and personal loyalty sustain me.
My colleagues and friends at Investigative Group International have tolerated the extra burdens that this project has placed on me and on them with grace and good humor. Rina Aaron, Jack Barrett, Ann Cochran, Jenni Crocker, Magda Cupo, George Fields, Adam Harsha, Jennifer Hoar, Rich Hynes, Dustin Kahlson, Ann Keating, Jonathan Lenzner, Bob Mason, Regina Mellon, Michele Strickland, and Tom Wendel all deserve my heartfelt thanks.
I am grateful to several friends who read drafts of various chapters—Jill Brett, Eleanor Dunn, John Eastman, Debra Knopman, Cokie Roberts, Deborah Spencer, and Sarah Spencer—and offered wise advice and encouragement.
Another group I want to acknowledge are those individuals whose guidance influenced the broad scope of experiences in my career. I would not have these stories to tell without them.
Lloyd K. Garrison, a senior partner in the law firm where I worked one summer during law school, was the first. I’ll never know why he pointed me toward the Civil Rights Division, but I am eternally grateful that he did.
John Doar was the best first boss a lawyer could have, and has been my mentor and friend since. Working under him in the Deep South and with him at the New York City Board of Education were privileges that I cherish. He deserves more credit than current history accords him in civil rights, and as counsel to the House impeachment inquiry in 1974.
Robert Morgenthau has been appropriately celebrated for the intelligence and integrity with which he led the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office later. Working under him as an assistant U.S. attorney was another privilege that I had no reason to anticipate.
The lawyers and staff of the Legal Services Program deserve more than simple acknowledgment for their energetic commitment to improving the lives of America’s least fortunate through equal access to justice. They inspired me, and supported me with their loyalty.
Father Philip Berrigan and Sister Elizabeth McAlister, along with their cadre of Catholic antiwar activists, exposed me to a level of commitment to a cause that was profoundly enlightening. Working with Ramsey Clark to defend them, I learned how criminal defense can be effective, creative, and worthwhile.
Edward Bennett Williams, Washington’s premier lawyer at the time, befriended me after I was fired by the Nixon administration and promoted me to others in the D.C. bar. He went out of his way to recommend me to the Watergate Committee. This was a fortuitous relationship that made a world of difference for me.
Sam Dash, Senator Sam Ervin, and Senator Lowell Weicker defended me against the attacks of the Nixon White House and encouraged me to pursue the facts of my “dirty tricks” and Hughes-Rebozo investigations.
David Mugar and the state of Alaska deserve credit for putting their faith in me to investigate and pursue their claims. Working on those challenging cases introduced me to new areas of practice, and formed the basis for my investigative firm. Best of all, I continue to enjoy a rewarding friendship with David.
The history of IGI involves a number of great leaders whose exceptional work ethic and creativity have helped to generate solutions for our clients’ complex and challenging matters. Prime among those leaders were New York City police commissioner Ray Kelly, who helped to bring IGI into twenty-first-century international operations, and Larry Potts, the former deputy director of the FBI, whose calm demeanor I still try to emulate. Tom Wendel, IGI’s current president, brings extraordinary forensic analysis to complex issues and develops sound strategies for solving clients’ problems.
IGI has been blessed to have among its clients major law firms, corporations, and nonprofits who seek our assistance. I appreciate the challenging and interesting problems that they present and the opportunity to contribute to their solutions in a collegial atmosphere of mutual respect.
This isn’t meant to be a history book. The stories in here are the fruits of my memory, such as it is. To verify facts and sequences, I’ve reviewed case sheets, congressional hearing records, and news articles. I’ve been aided by the accounts in many books, four of which are Sam Dash’s Chief Counsel, Taylor Branch’s epic history and John Lewis’s memoir of the civil rights movement, and Anthony Summers’s The Arrogance of Power. These and many other excellent histories of the events that I participated in are far more comprehensive accounts than I have attempted here.